Chapel to make way for offices

STATELINE -- Love's Wedding Chapel will close its doors on Jan. 31 after 32 years and 1.25 million marriages.

Plans call for the demolition of the chapel located at U.S. Highway 50 and Kingsbury Grade.

The county and Prim & Associates have partnered to develop a 5-acre project adjacent to the quarter-acre Love's lot, where open space is proposed.

Five buildings equaling 62,000 square feet are planned to house commercial and retail office space, a transit center and restaurants.

The land swap involves $172,000 in cash and four county-owned parcels situated up Kingsbury Grade that are appraised at $630,000. The lots range in size from two-thirds of an acre to about 4 acres. The Love's lot and business are valued about $895,000.

Falcon Capital principal Randy Lane, who co-owns the wedding business with Ron Darby, agreed to the deal that's been three years in the making.

"I knew this event was coming. I just didn't know when the final curtain would come down," Darby said Friday.

On Jan. 31, Darby plans to close the doors of the 32-year-old chapel that's joined together 2.5 million people from all over the world.

"We can walk away from here with our heads high," he said. "I still think this is one of the best places in the world to get married."

Darby will continue run the business out of his home under a new name, Love's Lake Tahoe Wedding Service.